Martelli Free Motion Quilting Rings

[pcquilter1]

I'm quilting my second quilt on my new George... finally took the ribbon off!  I find that my hand spread to guide the quilt is not large enough and I end up pulling or pushing the quilt when my hands are moving away from the needle.  Then the quilt gets a bit warpy.

 

One of my friends has seen the Martelli Free Motion Quilting Rings and suggested I order them.  Before I invest (they are an investment) I wondered if anyone has used them - or something similar with success with George.

 

Or any ideas to help my "control" issue.

 

Thanks,

 

Sue - a happy George owner!

[Mrs.A]

Hi Sue:

Congrats on your new George!  There is a learning curve when transitioning to George from your domestic machine.  Be patient with yourself and PPP.

 

The spread of your hands should be relative to the size of the quilting motifs you are doing.  When I'm doing very dense quilting, I often use a couple of Sharon Schamber's Halos...a rubberized ring that helps hold & tension the sandwich while free motion quilting.  I think they cost about $20 or $25 each.  I'll bet there are several demonstration videos on Youtube.  You can use them alone or stack them for more weight & control.  Sharon developed them when moving the fabric became difficult due to her tremor.  

 

There are two drawbacks to using the Halos on George.  The first one is that the halo device will not fit under George's presser foot.  On the new style machines like yours, with the split shaft, all you have to do is remove the foot.  On the old style with a solid shaft, the throat plate and insert need to be moved to get the halos on.  I keep a couple draped on the head of my George...out of the way but ready when I need them.  The other issue is that the halo, which has about an 8" diameter, is great for small quilting but not good for ditching long lines or quilting large motifs.  It's just too small for that...you have to move it too often and it interrupts the flow.

 

I had never heard of the Martelli Quilting Rings so I watched the video you referenced. Their rings work in exactly the same way that the Halos do.  I would have to try one on George to be sure but I think those knobs might be a handy addition (oh, excuse the pun please) and the lowered rim for ease of placement seems like a good idea to me.  You might like to try the halo first...just to see if this type of gadget is helpful to you.  It can be purchased at many local quilt shops or online at Purple Daisies.  If you like it but find the size restrictive, then you could go for the big daddy Martelli and pay their price.

 

On a quilt of any size, I don't try to move the whole sandwich around like the gentleman who's demonstrating on YouTube.

I make sure the weight of the quilt is completely supported on the table by pooling or puddling it.  I flatten an area about a foot square which is pretty much the 'wingspan' of my hands.  When that area is quilted, I stop with the needle down, reposition my hands in a new area, and off I go...one area at a time.

 

BTW, the Schamber Halo can be used with a standard or open toe foot.  There are now 1/4" feet available for George if you want to experiment with templates and rulers.  Take a look at the Fine Line Quilters Rulers on Youtube...they're being demonstrated on domestic machines.  Several of us George owners are beginning to experiment with these rulers.

 

Sorry for such a long answer.  Please keep asking questions here on the forum.  We'd love to hear about your progress.

 Nancy (George rep) in Tucson

[Neher-in-law5]

Nancy has given great advise.  I use one of the halos just like she mentioned.  I will need to go check out your video for the big rings/

[pcquilter1]

Thanks, Nancy and Madelyn!

 

I have a Fine Line Straight template that will be in the store where I work tomorrow.  Martelli offices are not too far from here and I may go try them first.  I'm doing fine with smaller designs and areas but not every quilt needs small and tight.  I can do about a 6-8" area and then have to reposition.

 

Because I work at a quilt shop, I find often that quilters only need to be told they are doing something correctly when adventuring into something new.  And with most new quilters, deciding how to quilt a quilt is sometimes even harder than the actual quilting.  The blog this week had good suggestions.

 

Thanks again and I'll keep you posted on the ring idea!

 

Sue

[Mrs.A]

You're so right, Sue, and it is not only new quilters who struggle with the 'how to'.   I have been making quilts for 40 years...machine quilting for probably 20.  I am proficient enough to quilt just about any pattern or fill.  After all these years & quilts, the sticking point for me...on every quilt...is deciding on what to  quilt and where to put it on each quilt.  Would love to hear what you find out about that larger ring.  Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

 

PS...you will need a high profile foot on the George before you begin working with that Fine Line ruler.  In the video, the gal demonstrating on the domestic machine is using a standard, domestic, open toe foot but I think that is dangerous!  Again, let us know what you think please.  

[Neher-in-law5]

Sue, since most of my quilts are with larger blocks I am really interested in the larger ring.  Not wearing gloves (especially in humid summer) or needing to stretch my hands for long periods would be nice.  I don't use the halo a lot, but it is hanging on George to be readily available when needed.  I find the span of hand space to quilt and shift to the next span space isn't hard and it does keep from needing to hold the hands too long in one position. 

[Katydids]

Sue, i played with the Martelli hoop at the Mobile Quilt show. It was pretty nice, except for the fact it doesn't fit well under the foot, the lowered cutout is still a bit high to slide under the foot. I did like the size of it vs the purple halo thing. I also tried it and my personal opinion was I like the size of the Martelli better. I did talk with David at the show and he said he could make it to suit our needs, either a lower section to slide easily under the foot or a u shape, or whatever we would like.

If you call over there, mention to him about the show and my discussion with him and hopefully he will remember! LOL Anyway, he is willing to make the configuration whatever we want.

[SueB2]

Mrs A, you mentioned the 1/4" foot for rulers.  What foot comes with the George and if you get the 1/4 " do you have to have your machine re-timed differently?  My rep said if I got a different foot (say open toe) later the machine would need re-timing?  Seemed strange to me as a regular machine doesn't care what foot it has.  I do hope to learn to use rulers down the line.

 

Thanks

[Katydids]

Not Mrs. A. here, but in the past when the interchangeable feet just came out for the stand-up machines, there was an issue with the shaft not being the proper length and re-timing was necessary. That issue has been corrected and I don't think it is a problem currently with George. At least there has been no mention of it recently. Hopefully if it is still an issue, Dawn or someone will post on this.

[Mrs.A]

Sue:

I sent you a private message regarding the interchangeable feet for George.  Patty is correct.  There was a problem with the first feet...the height of the hopping foot had to be reset when the feet were switched and that was irritating.  They have since been redesigned and should work just fine in your George provided you have the newer model with the split shaft.  More details in the pm.  

[srichardson]

Hi Sue,

 

Congratulations on your George and welcome to the forum.  I haven't used the Martelli rings that you are asking about but wonder if you are aware of their Redline

Direct Sales.  I don't remember if the sales are always fifty percent off but I have bought things from them with that discount.  I just got an e-mail this morning alerting me to their next sale on July 11th, their entire website will be included in the sale but I don't know yet what the discount will be.  They will also be having an open house July 26-27th in Pensacola.  As you are close to them you probably already know all about this! I thought it would be a good way to give the rings a try and not spend as much as you normally would have to.  I believe that the sales are available to anyone that signs up for their Redline e-mails.

[DawnCavanaugh]

Hi Sue,

Congratulations on your new George! You have gotten a couple great answers already regarding your question. If you later add one of the ruler feet to your George, you will not need to retime your machine.

I have tried the Martelli rings on George. I agree that the opening they have currently milled in the rings to allow you to slide the hoop under the foot still drags on the underside of the George foot, and is somewhat difficult to install the first time. You have to really lift up on the foot itself to get just enough clearance to slide the ring underneath. Once it's on however, it does make the quilting pretty nice if you like the hoop.

It's also very easy to actually use a wooden embroidery hoop on the George. You can find 14 and 16 inch hoops which can be slid easily underneath the foot of George. You can then hoop the fabric much like you would with an embroidery machine with the quilt sandwich facing flat against the throat of the machine. Then you can hang on to the hoop itself to assist when you move the fabric.

Hope that helps!